Staying Safe During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Are Packages Safe?

JUST AS WITH FOOD PACKAGING AND DELIVERY ITEMS, MAIL AND PACKAGES POSE A LOW RISK OF TRANSMIT-TING THE CORONAVIRUS. ALSO, LIKE FOOD PACKAGING AND DELIVERY ITEMS, YOU SHOULD AVOID CONTACT WITH THE DELIVERY PERSON.

Dave Partenheimer, a spokesman for the United States Postal Service (USPS), said “The CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as the Surgeon General, have indicated that there is currently no evidence that COVID-19 is being spread through the mail.”

According to the WHO, “the likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, traveled, and been exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.” The CDC is in alignment with the WHO in stating that the transmission risk via mail and packages is low, “in general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures. Coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread most often by respiratory droplets. Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with imported goods and there have not been any cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods.”

According to the experts, there is no need to disinfect mail or packages, however, you should wash your hands thoroughly after handling them.